Have You Ever Bought…, Day of Pentecost (B) – 2006

June 04, 2006

Have you ever bought something that needed to be assembled? After struggling to get the huge package into the house, and further struggling to open the wretched thing, the instructions are tucked right at the bottom. The instruction booklet is in a number of languages, the English translation — for that is obviously what it […]

Taste Is a Very Odd Thing…, Lent 4 (B) – 2006

March 26, 2006

Taste is a very odd thing. Goodness knows where it comes from. It can be something handed down in a family, not without rebellion. It can be cultural or societal. Then we have the issue of whether something is in good taste or not. Episcopalians are sometimes accused of being more interested in taste than […]

What’s in a Name?, Holy Name Day – 2006

January 01, 2006

The celebration of New Year’s Day tends to be a feast of exhaustion, particularly if one stayed up to see the new year in. After the Reformation in Scotland, the old church feasts were abolished. As is often the case, if people are deprived of things to which they are deeply attached, they find other […]

There Are Some Who Love…, Proper 8 (A) – 2005

June 26, 2005

There are some who love having people over to dinner or a summer barbeque. They get a kick out of opening their homes and showing off their possessions or their cooking skills. They may even rejoice in having a captive audience upon which to inflict their latest jokes or the story of last year’s vacation. […]

Give Me A Simple Religion…, Trinity Sunday (A) – 2005

May 22, 2005

“Give me a simple religion,” we sometimes yearn. It’s an odd prayer. If someone calls us “simple” we are very offended. Certainly there can be nothing simple about God. It would be very odd indeed if complicated humans and a complicated God met together in a “simple faith.” In a few minutes we will say […]

Abandonment…, Easter Day (A) – 2005

March 27, 2005

Abandonment is one of the greatest losses a human may experience. True, there are other losses that can scar us. Coming home to find we’ve been robbed produces a feeling of violation, particularly if the robbery includes the loss of objects we associate with our past. And we all know children whose lives were dreadfully […]

Come See the Place Where He Lay, Great Vigil of Easter (A) – 2005

March 26, 2005

There are places where time seems to disappear. Travelers know all about that feeling. It is a feeling. A “place” may be many things. Finding an old family Bible in the attic, opening it to a page where births, marriages, and deaths are recorded. You recognize the name of a great-grandmother whom you didn’t know, […]

During the Recent Commemoration…, Ash Wednesday – 2005

February 09, 2005

During the recent commemoration of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz, in Poland, in a moment of almost eerie silence, a rabbi sounded the ram’s horn, the ancient “trumpet” of Israel. Sixty years after the Nazis were driven from that dreadful place, survivors mingled with world leaders to pay homage to the dead, […]

Someone Has Described…, All Saints’ Day (C) – 2004

November 07, 2004

Someone has described a saint as an ordinary Christian who does ordinary things extraordinarily well. That’s certainly not the New Testament definition, although it’s not a bad start. If you look at the two New Testament lessons appointed for today, the one used for Service 1 gives a vision of heaven, filled with people wearing […]

As We Get Closer…, Proper 19 (C) – 2004

September 12, 2004

As we get closer to the general election, it is more and more common to hear someone suggesting that because Candidate X once thought this, and now says that, he or she isn’t being honest! Changing one’s mind may be thought to be a sign of insincerity or weakness. Imagine God changing God’s mind! The […]

One Can Imagine…, Day of Pentecost (C) – 2004

May 30, 2004

One can imagine the followers of Jesus huddled in the Upper Room holding endless discussions. It must have been rather like one of those vestry meetings where the members have been challenged to do the impossible and haven’t yet plucked up the courage to say that the proposal is impossible. Jesus had told them to […]

Most of Us Try and Steer…, Palm Sunday (C) – 2004

April 04, 2004

Most of us try and steer clear of violent emotional swings. Elation is wonderful as long as it isn’t shattered by the cold slap in the face of disaster. Driving along a mountain road, taking in the scenery, alive with a sense of joy and wonder is one thing, but to be hit head on […]